Since I Left You
by redisaid
Summary: Trying to get away to get over someone never really works.
1. Chapter 1

She told herself it was exactly what she needed. There were excuses called rest and relaxation, things she knew would never be afforded to her, but sounded good when she proposed the trip. Peppermint Butler's brief frown let her know that he saw right through her, but it didn't stop him from arranging the necessities.

The sun was warm and it sparkled across the water perfectly. It was too bad that they spent a good hour prying Cinnamon Bun out of the three inner tubes he managed to stuff himself into. Then came the unfortunate discovery of the general incompatibility that sticky sugar has with sand. By the time Princess Bubblegum actually had the opportunity to sit down, the sun was threatening to set. Such a petty thing wasn't going to stop her, though.

Breath slowly escaped her lips as she settled onto a towel beneath a now mostly unnecessary umbrella. She watched her citizens play. Sandcastles were built and quickly demolished. Unsuspecting sunbathers were became mountains of sand. Beach balls were lost, found, then forever claimed by the waves.

She could almost forget. In the chaos of it all, she could barely hear herself think. Thoughts didn't have time to linger until they sunk down her throat, thick and vile like cough syrup. They would slip into her gut and twist it, then come back up as fire to boil her in her skull until she could do nothing but cry. No amount of cool glasses of her favorite sweet tea and stiff consolations from Peppermint Butler could stop it either.

But thinking about how nice it is to not think is probably the worst thing one can do.

She laid down, leaving the chaos of the candy people to fade into a steady hum before her. Above her the sky was a bruise, slowly growing more and more purple. The first brave stars appeared as she watched. "You never liked the beach anyway," she told them.

"_What do you like to do then?" she'd asked what seemed like years earlier. "I guess I should be asking where you like to go…"_

"_You gotta understand babe," a husky voice almost whispered, like this was some vital secret. "Some places…aren't useful anymore. Beaches are a sunny happy thing. I'm not really a sunny happy thing, so they don't really work for me."_

_She almost felt ashamed for suggesting it. Her arms curled tighter around cool skin, trying to apologize. "You're not happy?"_

"_I didn't mean it like that."_

The sand beneath her was also growing cold, but it didn't turn around to hold her tight and make promises it didn't intend to keep either. She dug her fingers into it and sat up again. Her citizens were gathering around a steadily growing bonfire and squealing in delight as the flames took to the pile of driftwood. It was about time for her to join them again.

"_Don't touch that!"_

_Fangs poked out first before the full smirk emerged. "Worried I'm gonna burn myself? Relax, Bonnie. I'm a big girl."_

_She floated amidst a maze of glass, her lanky limbs bowing thick, then even thinner through the beakers and flasks. She laughed. She laughed like she always did—like she knew everything and knew how little it all really mattered. "What's the matter, brainlord? Can't I visit my girl at work?"_

"_You're hovering over at least four kinds of highly volatile acids, Marceline," she scolded. "I think I have a right to be somewhat concerned."_

"_For me or for the acid?" the vampire asked back. "Because that bubbly green stuff has nothing on me." She grinned, fangs flashing in the flames of the Bunsen burners, but the Princess knew it wasn't genuine. She'd learned that smile and its many potential meanings_

They were setting up for dinner already. Peppermint Butler had laid claim to the grill. Tables were being set, citizens seated. It was calmer. They seemed to be doing fine without her, at least for the moment. She didn't even get a chance to eat lunch, but she wasn't sure if her stomach was rebelling out of hunger or if it was going to twist her into tears again.

_She panted against her neck, desperate. Bubblegum could almost feel the effort it took for her to pull away and cup her face instead. She stared at her, eyes piercing, neither red nor black nor blue, but any color they wanted to be. Her free hand lashed out too fast, catching the Princess' and stilling it. It nearly crushed her wrist, while the other was cool and gentle on her cheek. It left her just enough time to come back to herself and start to ask, "What? Do you want to stop or—?"_

_She shook her head and her hair spilled everywhere, a great pile of heavy black silk. She moved slowly, releasing her hand first. Those cold fingers then crawled up to perch on a soft pink shoulder before she leaned back into her and hovered just above her neck again. "Can I? Please? You have no idea how hard it is for me not to…"_

_Any other creature would have been terrified. Anyone else would have run screaming long before then. Anyone insane enough to come to this point would still run. Bubblegum could feel oddly hot breath against her neck and she knew what was being asked of her. The hand on her shoulder trembled, threatening to become a claw, but holding back for her sake._

"_Yes," she breathed._

A tiny hand on her knee helps her to pull out of the ball that she's made of herself. Peppermint Butler repeats the morning's frown. He knew it wouldn't work all along.

"Everyone—"

"Is too busy cleaning up the mess they made with that food fight to notice. Don't worry about them," he reassured her.

"I'm an idiot," she sniffed. "And I'm not going to repeat all the other things, because you've heard them at least a dozen times already."

She expected him to suggest that she call her again. He did before after exhausting his usual string of phrases, and while she screamed him out of her room for it, she did at least pick up the phone several times before the end of that night. He'd long run out of encouraging and polite things to say, though. He merely extended a glass her way and explained, "Water, of the fresh variety— not the salty stuff out there."

She took it. "It's my fault you know."

"If my lady insists. You know, you could call her and tell her th—"

She stopped him and let a weak laugh part her lips. "Not a chance."


	2. Chapter 2

She hadn't been out in weeks. Well—she wasn't exactly sure. Time was never really her thing. If she had to guess, it had probably been about two weeks—maybe three. There was still some food left in the fridge and no one had come looking for her yet. Probably two weeks—maybe. Long enough for her to start feeling bad about staying in, at least.

So she started cleaning. That was what normal people did. They worried about the thin layers of dust that formed on coffee tables and amplifiers. They did something about those sticky spots on the kitchen floor. Of course, being a bit more proactive about them would have made them easier to clean. She'd spent far too long on this one—a stubborn bit of what was once strawberry soda, but was now a substance that could rival the strength and durability of a diamond.

"Stupid," she spat at it. "Stupid, stupid—GET OFF MY FLOOR!"

Her arms trembled and threatened to burst the seams of the old hoodie that contained them. They slipped briefly into inky tentacles, then spouted a wolf's course fur, then the downy coat of a bat before calming back into smooth skin again. Despite the intimidating display, the spot did not relent.

"Fine. You win. I didn't really feel like cleaning anyway," Marceline sighed before floating up and depositing a mostly ruined sponge into the sink.

She drifted back to the living room to stare at her bass again. She wanted to play, but couldn't seem to summon up the energy to even lift it off the stand anymore. She had to, though. Normal people got up and got on with their lives. Normal people would also learn from a thousand years of making the same mistake over and over again, if normal people lived for a thousand years, that is. With a quick intake of unneeded breath, she picked it up and set it across her lap. The weight of it felt good. One strum later and the buzz of it was warm in her chest. It was almost worth it.

"_Not like that, dork!" she chuckled. She slide beneath her effortlessly, prompting a cute squeal. Lanky limbs wrapped themselves around flushed pink ones. She matched their fingers as best she could and held the chord for both of them. "If you don't keep your hand relaxed then of course you won't be able to reach. See? No problem."_

"_Ah! That hurts," Bubblegum complained even as she leaned back into her. "The strings dig into my fingers."_

"_No one ever said it wouldn't hurt a little. You'll get used to it, babe, or least your fingers will. You gotta practice, and just keep practicing," Marceline advised. _

_Warm fingers slid their way out from under hers and loomed over them. "Teach me this way," she requested, but by then she had slipped too far back to even see the neck of the guitar. _

"_Hmm, well then. If that's what you want." Marceline leaned in. _

The second strum rang sour and wrong. The poodle whined up at her for it. She didn't even see him come into the room.

"Sorry boy," Marceline apologized before setting the bass back on its stand. "I promise I'll take you for a walk...uh probably soon. I dunno."

He whined again, this time softer.

"I know," she said as she tipped down to scratch between his ears. "I know I always do this. I should know better by now."

_Her dull teeth tugged at her lips for far too long. "Sorry," she finally said. "That's just...a big deal. I—I don't really know what to say."_

_Others had outright laughed at her, so at least it hadn't come to that. Most reciprocated, but didn't really mean it. If they did, it didn't last, at least not long enough to matter. "Look, just pretend I didn't say it—"_

_A hand stretched out desperately to her lips. "No, no. I mean. It's not a bad thing. I just...I don't know. I don't think I know how to deal with this. I've never said it before."_

"_Never?"_

"_No. I...it just—it wasn't something I thought I'd ever," the princess sighed. "It would take years for me to explain."_

_At least this was a new reaction. Marceline settled on top of her with her best fake grin. She put an elbow on either side of Bubblegum and propped her chin up onto the her palms. "Well, I've got plenty of time."_

"Yeah, I'm pretty dumb, huh?"

The poodle didn't offer his opinion. His tail wagged just slightly as he pressed into her gentle scratching.

Marceline sighed yet again. Her house was full of those sighs. It was about time to let them out. She drifted off to grab Schwabl's leash off of its hook by the door. His tail was in overdrive by the time she clipped it onto his collar.

"I really do love her, though. I still do. I know I say that every time. I know," she told him as she opened the door.


End file.
